A flat nachos chip doesn't hold enough toppings or dip. Sure, you can buy chips that are scoop-shaped, but homemade nachos not only taste great, but impress party guests. Here's how to make the perfect scoop-shaped nachos in a mini muffin pan.

Next step: custom chip. Chips are, of course, made from corn tortilas. So making your own chip is really not that big a deal: You just fry a corn tortila. No problem. Getting the tortilla into the muffin divot: a little bit more of a problem. You can't just cram the thing, because it will just crumple up, consuming all the space that is reserved for cheese. Never forget: This is about cheese.

In order to make a chip that fit in the tray perfectly, we enlisted the help of staff writer Jamie Condliffe, who also happens to have a Phd in engineering. We got the dimensions of the muffin divots—top diameter, internal diameter, and height of the sides—and then used CAD to figure out a shape that would fold perfectly into the muffin tin.

The rather geeky instructions for making your own scoop-shaped chips to hold and contain the perfect amount of cheese, salsa, sour cream, and other delicious additions are at Gizmodo. Link -via Nag on the Lake